Bombs claim five lives in Logar, Badghis

PUL-I-ALAM/QALA-I-NAW (PAN): Three civilians and two mine planters were killed in two separate bomb explosions in Logar and Badghis provinces, officials said on Monday.

The civilians were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the Qala-i-Afzal area on the outskirts of Pul-i-Alam City on Monday, Col. Mohammad Jan Abid, the provincial crime branch chief, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

The dead included two occupants of the car and a passerby, he said.

Din Mohammad Darwesh, the governor's spokesman, said the Taliban-planted bomb was aimed at targeting security forces. The victims' bodies were handed over to their relatives, he said.

"The blast occurred when the car took a turn onto a dirt road," Abdul Hakim, a resident of the area, said.

Meanwhile, three suspected people were detained by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) soldiers in the Gadakhel area of Pul-i-Alam City on Sunday night, Abid said.

Elsewhere in the country, two mine planters were killed when their own bomb went off in Balamurghab district of northwestern Badghis province.

The incident took place late on Sunday night in the Panjab area, Col. Mohammad Jabar Saleh, the provincial police chief, said. He added the victims' identity was yet to be established, but an investigation was underway.